Back to the end of Prime Base

[tsofian]

Some time ago I suggested that Prime Base was the victim of a contaminated batch of Smallpox Vaccine. There was some discussion of whether or not the Project would have detected the contamination (I had suggested a prion) and whether prions would even have been available in the late 1980s.

I have been looking for the Quality Assurance protocols for the vaccine and my wonderful, brilliant wife found this http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Biologi.../UCM078071.pdf. It is from 2002. It gives a clear indication that the testing that would have been done in the 1980s is pretty limited "Testing for anaerobes, coliforms,hemolytic streptococci and coagulasepositive
staphylococci, viable bacteria"

So I am going to back off the prions and instead suggest that the vaccine was purposefully contaminated with the rabies virus. None of the listed tests would have detected it. Rabies has a incubation period of 2 to 12 weeks. with as short as four days being possible. The disease can be treated post exposure if the rabies vaccine is given promptly enough, generally within ten days of exposure. Krell would have contaminated the smallpox vaccine with a strain of rabies that has a latency period that ensures few victims would show symptoms in time for the base to determine what was happening. Rabies is nearly 100% fatal if the post exposure treatment isn't given in the window, and before 2004 appears to have been invariably fatal.

[mmartin798]

Ultimately, we are going to have to use some handwavium to prevent Prime Base survivors. Biology is a tricky thing and regardless of infection type; virus, bacteria, prion, there is small percentage around 5% that will be immune or successfully fight it off. A CDC study showed about 2% of people in an area where bats are a common vector for rabies had rabies antibodies without having been vaccinated for it, most likely from being bit and fighting off the infection. So Prime Base would have, assuming 200 on staff, about 5 that survive the tainted vaccine. Some of them might be the ones killed in the fighting, but a random distribution would say it is likely at least one would have been safe and sound inside the base the whole time.

[.45cultist]

That's the trouble with knowing too much to do the "suspension of disbelief". It even causes passionate debates/arguments. What if the Warriors used a cocktail of multiple illnesses? Could one beat the 5% rule then? It might also strain the ready supplies to fight the symptoms as well as the pathogens themselves and overwhelm the medical bay.

[ArmySGT.]

Since the Soviet Union built whole cities around defense projects like nuclear warheads, rocketry, aircraft design, and biowarfare.....

An operative having a biowarfare weapon tailored to pass the immune response systems of 99.9999999 % of the human population is possible.

There is a damn good reason it is banned internationally.

A hostile agent within Prime Base released a biowarfare in one or more common areas, such as cafeterias. Bam, and done.

Heck, tag team them........ A Soviet sleeper agent with a mission to cripple the Morrow Project and Krell with a stolen or recovered aerial delivered nuke unwittingly cooperate and take Prime Base down.

[cosmicfish]

I keep coming back to the logical consequences of the takedown of PB. If it is via a new bioweapon, where else does this exist and how does it not doom the Project and/or humanity? If it is via something inserted into the PB supply chain, where else was it inserted, what does that mean for the Project, and why does that level of penetration not doom the Project in other ways? If the Russians are involved... oy vey.

I don't like the bioweapon, and I like it even less if it is introduced via contaminated vaccines. Problem 1 is that it requires some significant penetration into Morrow's structure by Krell, and that penetration should have wide-spread consequences throughout the game. Problem 2 is that the large variability in incubation and symptomatic times means that PB should either have overcome the problem or at least taken much better steps to account for their own demise.

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by cosmicfish

I keep coming back to the logical consequences of the takedown of PB. If it is via a new bioweapon, where else does this exist and how does it not doom the Project and/or humanity? If it is via something inserted into the PB supply chain, where else was it inserted, what does that mean for the Project, and why does that level of penetration not doom the Project in other ways? If the Russians are involved... oy vey.

I don't like the bioweapon, and I like it even less if it is introduced via contaminated vaccines. Problem 1 is that it requires some significant penetration into Morrow's structure by Krell, and that penetration should have wide-spread consequences throughout the game. Problem 2 is that the large variability in incubation and symptomatic times means that PB should either have overcome the problem or at least taken much better steps to account for their own demise.

Easy Peasy....... Several Biowarfare weapons are dropped on the U.S. in canon by Soviet missiles. The agent is Krell and carried the disease into Paiute Place doing the "Smallpox blankets" ploy; or an unwitting survivor that has taken a jacket or items from a car or tent from someone who has died.

[tsofian]

Originally Posted by mmartin798

Ultimately, we are going to have to use some handwavium to prevent Prime Base survivors. Biology is a tricky thing and regardless of infection type; virus, bacteria, prion, there is small percentage around 5% that will be immune or successfully fight it off. A CDC study showed about 2% of people in an area where bats are a common vector for rabies had rabies antibodies without having been vaccinated for it, most likely from being bit and fighting off the infection. So Prime Base would have, assuming 200 on staff, about 5 that survive the tainted vaccine. Some of them might be the ones killed in the fighting, but a random distribution would say it is likely at least one would have been safe and sound inside the base the whole time.

I looked up that study. It was a tiny population in Peru that had long and repeated exposure to vampire bats.
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...es_immune.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-8008576.html

I'm entirely willing to say that in my MP Prime Base had no one from the two tiny Peruvian villages. So no worries.